Sakura

Susumu Yokota | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 4, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Leaf Spain
• ASIN: B00004Y33D
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,510 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Saku

2. Tobiume

3. Uchu Tanjyo

4. Hagoromo

5. Genshi

6. Gekkoh

7. Hisen

8. Azukiiro No Kaori

9. Kodomotachi

10. Naminote

11. Shinsen

12. Kirakiraboshi

Editorial Reviews

Multi-talented producer Susumu Yokota returns to the ambient realm with the beautiful and diverse Sakura. When he indulges his fondness for pop hooks with his dancefloor material, Yokota's melodic choices are glossy and extroverted, but his music for home listening is focused, controlled, and deeply internal. His knack for blending traditional instruments like guitar and piano with simple electronics harks back to ambient music's birth in the mid-'70s; at times Sakura recalls the work of pioneers like Brian Eno, Cluster, and Manuel G ttsching. The icy "Saku" sets the meditative tone on Sakura, with gentle, winding guitar lines, relaxed synthesizer oscillations, and plenty of breathing space for the minimal instrumentation. Beats make their first appearance on "Uchiu Tanjyo," as smooth, semi-tribal hand drums blend organically with the repeating keyboard figures. "Genshi" adds house drum programming to the brew, and Yokota's knack for reflective electronic melody on the track rivals the best of Kraftwerk. Both "Azukiior No Kaori" and "Kodomotachi" use vocal samples to haunting effect, bringing to mind the favored techniques of Nobukazu Takemura without direct reference to machine glitches. The flow is marred by a misplaced jazz cutup ("Naminote"), but Sakura possesses an austere beauty and should not be overlooked. ~ Mark Richardson, Rovi --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars understated beauty, June 19, 2006

By 

cubik dervish "mroddyssey" (burque, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sakura (Audio CD)

for those of you who are in need of verse-chorus-verse music, look elsewhere. but for those of us who are just amazed at the potential of loop-based, mood-enhancing, possibility-expanding music-making, look no further. awesome all around (as susumu yokota usually is). 'nuff said

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars want to get away?, January 6, 2005

By 

Nicholas Krismunando "Nino" (Seattle/Honolulu) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sakura (Audio CD)

just put this cd in your discman and put some headphones on...and you'll escape to a paradise you have never known before. maybe, the most beautiful pieces of music i've ever heard, it just captures you...beautiful looping ambient melodies over one another just create such a gorgeous atmosphere. elements of jazz, techno, ethno that mix seamlessly together from the first track to the last. perfect use of percussion where it's necessary but not taking away from the track as you often find with ambient records. if you like four tet, or mum, or anything that has a beautiful ambient background, you have to get this album. i have it playing right now and i just can't stop it. do yourself a favor.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lush, mesmerising ambient., January 26, 2001

By 

Matt Jacques (Saskatchewan, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sakura (Audio CD)

I was amazed after hearing this CD for the first time, and it certainly ranks among the best ambient of 2000. I will admit though, that I am only writing this review as a warning... Sakura is NOTHING like any of Susuma Yakota's other works. While they might be fine works within their own genre, much of the 'other' Susumu Yakota would best be classified as Jamiroquai's backup band having a summit meeting with the kings of japanese cheezy house club music.

To each their own, but I was seriously dissapointed that Susuma Yakota has not made anything else along the lines of Sakura. Oh well, this makes me appreciate it all the more I guess... and Sakura is his most recent, so let's hope he continues to explore more ambient realms!

A truly rewarding listening experience my top 'surprise' of the year so far...